"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Prov. 17:22

     Cabin Fever Follies is an old tradition of bringing light and laughter to the long, cold winter months of being cooped up. We thought we had left the tradition behind when we left the north but, we introduced it this winter at our church. Good sports that they are, they embraced the idea.
     We began the evening with a chili cook-off. Two long tables were laden with ten crockpots of various chilies, numbered and made ready for voting (and eating!) Two more tables were covered in toppings of every sort, cornbreads, tortilla chips, and desserts. We had several serious tasters and voters recording their ballots for three categories of winners. They were, Most Unusual Ingredient, Hottest, and Best Overall, which would be the Grand Champion. Several new visitors at church even submitted entries. The hour we spent tasting and eating gave everyone a nice chance to visit and introduce themselves. We had about eighty people of all ages brave the bitter cold weather to be out for this evening's event.
    As the chili ballots were being tallied, everyone made their way to the sanctuary where the Follies would take place. A dozen performers had signed up for a variety of acts: some serious, some amazing, and some on the humorous side. Our Small Study Group got excited about putting together something entertaining. We've had so much fun over the past three weeks preparing for this evening. we all contributed an idea or an enhancement to the core idea, that being our pastor's sermon on Jonah earlier this winter. It would include a big fish prop and a song of the same title, by FFH.
     The chili votes were in and the Follies began with the awards. The audience created a drum roll to introduce each winner. Chelsea won the Most Unusual award for her Turkey Pumpkin Chili! One of our elders won for his Hottest Chili named, 'The Chilinator', and a new family won for Best Overall. The Champions were awarded the golden spoon, among other prizes. These winners will hold the golden spoon for a year until it's time to pass it on to the new, next-year's winner.
     With this business completed, we readied ourselves for the dozen performers lined up for our entertainment.  All the performers were amazing! There was singing and dancing, musicals and skits. Some received standing ovations, all received hearty clapping, and a few received hoots of laughter and whistles.
     The evening was a success and folks were already talking about preparing for next year's event. Some acts will be hard to follow. But, we all agree that the gift of laughter is a balm to weary, over worked, and aching souls. I must admit that I lean towards laughter as a counterweight to life's burdens. My faith, my family, and my friends provide me with a balanced attitude toward most things. I could not endure life's difficulties alone, of that I am sure. Thank you for the laughter, my friends, it is golden.
     And now I present, "Jonah and the Longettes" as we perform, Big Fish. Our inspiration was a sermon series on Jonah our pastor gave earlier this winter. (Click here if you wish to listen.) Our cast is composed of two engineers, a pilot, a pediatrician, a speech therapist, a math professor, a bank teller, and me. I suppose we better not give up our day jobs. : )